Instructor: In this lesson, 2 2
we're going to cover cost optimization 3 3
within the AWS ecosystem. 4 4
Now, cost optimization 5 5
in AWS involves strategically managing 6 6
and controlling your AWS resources and services 7 7
to reduce expenditure while maintaining 8 8
or enhancing performance and efficiency. 9 9
Cost optimization really is a central element 10 10
of the AWS ecosystem, but it isn't just concern 11 11
with reducing your AWS bill. 12 12
Instead, it is really focused on trying to ensure 13 13
that your organization can get the most value 14 14
from every penny you spend on AWS services. 15 15
To help with this, AWS has three main services 16 16
that can be used to ensure that you aren't wasting money 17 17
on resources that you don't need 18 18
in your AWS Cloud environment. 19 19
These three services are the Trusted Advisor, 20 20
AWS Health Dashboard and the AWS Health API. 21 21
First, we have the Trusted Advisor. 22 22
I want you to think of Trusted Advisor 23 23
as your own personal AWS consultant who is always 24 24
on a lookout for ways 25 25
to enhance your overall experience within AWS. 26 26
The Trusted Advisor operates in real time 27 27
and can offer us some valuable insights 28 28
for optimizing AWS resources, 29 29
increasing our security measures, 30 30
and achieving better performance and reliability. 31 31
I personally think 32 32
that the Trusted Advisor is particularly beneficial 33 33
for cost-conscious users and organizations in the AWS Cloud. 34 34
This is because the service can conduct checks 35 35
across all of your AWS users patterns 36 36
and then highlight any resources 37 37
that are not actively being used as well as provide us 38 38
with suggested modifications to your instance types 39 39
and storage services to provide significant cost savings 40 40
and increase levels of efficiency. 41 41
For example, let's say that you are responsible 42 42
for overseeing the cloud-based infrastructure 43 43
for a rapidly growing startup. 44 44
In the early stage, you often find 45 45
that your resources are stretched pretty thin, 46 46
so the last thing you want to do is overspend or waste money 47 47
on AWS resources that are not necessary. 48 48
So the Trusted Advisor service can point out any areas 49 49
with wasted resources, 50 50
and then it can suggest optimization measures 51 51
so that you can pay for only the resources 52 52
that you genuinely need and will provide value 53 53
to your organization. 54 54
Second, we have the AWS Health Dashboard. 55 55
The AWS Health Dashboard serves as a holistic view 56 56
of the operational health of AWS services 57 57
that you're leveraging in your cloud-based environment. 58 58
The AWS Health Dashboard is the go-to place for updates 59 59
on service disruptions, plan maintenance activities 60 60
and other operational nuances that you may encounter. 61 61
For example, let's pretend 62 62
that you are a solutions architect 63 63
and a particular AWS service experiences 64 64
an unexpected outage. 65 65
Maybe the Elastic Block Store is currently down 66 66
in the us-east-1 region in the availability zone A. 67 67
Now, this will affect any of your EC2 instances 68 68
that are storing their virtualized hard disk drive 69 69
or solid state drives in that cloud. 70 70
Well, if the underlying service goes down, 71 71
then AWS Health Dashboard can provide you 72 72
with real-time information and alerts, inform you 73 73
of the outage so that you can make more informed decisions 74 74
about the outage and communicate your response plan 75 75
with your key stakeholders. 76 76
Third, we have the AWS Health API. 77 77
The AWS Health API is an application programming interface 78 78
that acts like a conduit for users 79 79
to be able to programmatically extract data 80 80
from the AWS Health Dashboard. 81 81
This means that the operational health data 82 82
that you normally find 83 83
in the AWS Health Dashboard can be read and used 84 84
as an input to other monitoring and management frameworks. 85 85
Another example, if you're working as an IT manager 86 86
for a large corporation with a custom dashboard 87 87
that consolidates data from various cloud providers, 88 88
including the AWS Cloud, 89 89
then the AWS Health API can funnel your AWS Health 90 90
Dashboard-related data right 91 91
into your organization's own custom design dashboard 92 92
that contains information on your AWS services 93 93
as well as services that might be hosted 94 94
in Azure or the Google Cloud platform as well. 95 95
This type of consolidated dashboard can offer you 96 96
a streamlined view that can keep you in a loop 97 97
of the health of your AWS environment. 98 98
So remember, cost optimization 99 99
in AWS involves strategically managing 100 100
and controlling your AWS resources and services 101 101
to reduce expenditure while maintaining 102 102
or enhancing performance and efficiency. 103 103
AWS's approach to cost optimization isn't just 104 104
about cutting costs, but it also focuses on delivering value 105 105
with every dollar you spend. 106 106
With services like the Trusted Advisor, 107 107
the AWS Health Dashboard and the AWS Health API, 108 108
users are equipped with the tools they need 109 109
to make more informed decisions, 110 110
optimize their AWS environments, 111 111
and ensure that they get the most bang for their buck 112 112
when purchasing the AWS services in the cloud. 113 113
Remember, in the world of AWS, 114 114
cost optimization is a journey, not the final destination, 115 115
and these three tools can ensure 116 116
that you're always on the right path.